Portable hair dryer



April l16, 1968 o. HUBNER 3,377,715

PORTABLE HAIR DRYER Filed April 12,. 1966 ATrae//E/S United States Patent O 3,377,715 PRTABLE HAIR DRYER Otto Hbner, 3 Pernerkreppe, Munich 27, Germany Filed Apr. 12, 1966, Ser. No. 542,047 Claims priority, .application Pgermany, Apr. 14, 1965,

s claims. (cl. .a4- 99) ABSTRAI 0F THE DISSLGSURE This invention relates to a portable hair dryer, and more particularly toa hair dryer which can be carried, for example by means of a shoulder strap, by a woman, and which, during the hair drying operation, can be completelly free of encumbering electrical extension cords or connection to any external power su-pply.

Portable hair dryers have become known, whose drying hood is connected with the blower by means of a llexible hose. The blower in such devices is located in a portable carrying case. However, these dryers of the prior art have the disadvantage of operating only when a cable is connected from lthe dryer to an external electrical light and power supply. This connecting cable or cord lthus limits the user of the dryer in her movements, so that for all practical purposes she can use the hair dryer only while in a sitting position.

It is therefore can object of this invention to provide a hair dryer whose use can take place completely free of external connecting electrical cables, cords and correspending sockets or plug box electrical outlets. The hair dryer can then be used not only in the house, but also outdoors :as well, as may be desired.

According .to the invention, the blower of the hair dryer, located in a case-type housing supportable on a sling or shoulder strap, is operated by a low current motor and equipped with a heat storing member which is first heated up for a short period prior to the hair-drying pro-cess, and for this purpose can be connected directly t' to the source of current or supply network. The blower motor itself receives its operational current for the drying process from batteries or accumulator-s located in the portable carrying case. The carrying case has mounted inside it .a device for loading the accumulators, which can thus be recharged in a very simple manner, following the use of the hair-drying hood.

The heat storing member may comprise ceramic material and be provided with two heating coils. Between the heat storing element or member and the outlet connecting nozzle or joint, to which a exible hose for the drying hood is connected, there is disposed an adjustable airmixing valve. A switching device is provided at the carrying case, preferably on the upper front wall of the case, equipped with several switching positions, for example Charge, Heat, Power On, Warrn, Mediumj 0th Not only are the electrical functions, but also the mechanical functions, such as the adjusta-ble air mixing valve, actuated by a switching or control member. Only one external connecting cable need be provided for all electrical functions.

The foregoing and other objects, advantages and features of the invention will become better understood by reference to the following description when considered in connection with .the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. l is an elevational view, partly cut away, of the 3,377,715 Patented Apr. 16, 1968 ICC case with all required parts of the hair drying apparatus and hood, according to the invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates .in perspective the use of the hair dryer hood in operating position on the wearer;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view with the air hose removed Iand illustrating the switching and control panel for operating the hair dryer according to the invention; and,

FIG. 4 is .a schematic wiring diagram.

As shown in FIG. l, a portable carrying case 1 is equipped with a shoulder strap 2. Within the ca'se 1 is mounted a heat storing element 3, the latter being of a ceramic material of generally ringed shape and capable of being suitably heated and then returning the heat gradually to air circulating over its surface. The element 3 is provided with two concentrically disposed heating coils 4 and S. The ceramic material used here may be of the same type used for the night current type of electric furnace. Prior to the hair-drying oper-ation, the heat storage element 3 is heated up for approximately 10 minutes. The element 3 has an air ilow-through channel 6, whose inlet end 7 is connected directly to a blower 8 also l0- cated in the case 1, and which is operated by a low current mo'tor 29. The outlet end 9 of channel 6 is connected wit-h an adjustable air mixing valve 10, having adjustable width air-inlet slots. The valve 10 has a rotatable slotted ring which controls the proportion of cold air mixed with the hot air. The valve 10 is arranged near the outlet connection joint 11 which is connectable with the llexible accordion hose 12, the latter supplying the controlled and adjusted hot yair to the actual drying hood 13 which is worn on the head.

The wall of the case 1 is provided with air inlet slots 14 for sucking in cold air, which is adjustably mixed in valve 10 with the hot air from the heat storing element. The heat storing element 3 is heat-shielded relative to the case and the other parts located therein by a special heat insulation 15 positioned around the elements 3. One front side of the case 1 has a compartment 16 for receiving and storing the collapsible drying hood 13, made of plas- 'tic or other flexible material, another compartment for the connecting cable -cord with plug 27 and a further compartrnent for the connecting hose 12. On the left side of the case 1, next to the heat storage member 3, are the accumulators 19, in front of which lie the individual portions of the loading or charging device with over-load protection 20, a capacitor 21, a rectifier 22 and safety fuses 23.

Installed in the upper front wall 24 of the case 1 is the switching device or panel 25, with a switch button or knob 26, used to activate the various individual functions of the dryer.

Use of the dryer takes place as follows in a very simple manner. When not in operation, the dial 26 is left in the switching position Or When the knob 26 is in switching position Charge, the case and its cover flap (not shown) is opened up, the cord and its plug 27 are pulled out of their storage compartment and connected to the normal household power supply, such as 115 v. A.C.'The loading or charging of the accumulators 19 is effected via the built-in charging device 21, 22, 23. Preferably, the device is charged by leaving the cord plugged in overnight, `so that the woman will have a fully loaded hair dryer whenever she wishes to use the same. If one forgets `to disconnect the cord and plug 27 from the power supply, the accumulators 19 are protected against overloading by an over-loading protector 20.

In the position of the dial 26 at Heat, the electric cord is also connected to the power supply through the plug 27 in order to preheat the heat storage element 3. Prior to using the hair dryer hood, heating of element 3 should, preferably, rst occur only for short periods, so

that the necessary heat accumulation (storage) can take place immediately after the woman has washed her hair, prior to putting her hair in curlers, she should preferably switch the knob or dial 26 of the hair drying device onto the position Heat In the last mentioned position, the heat storage member 3 is strongly heated. With a heating coi-l 5 of approximately 1000 watts, the member 3 may be heated suiciently high in a relatively few minutes (for example 5 to 10 minutes). As soon as the optimum heat is reached, which .the heat storage member is able to absorb, a thermostatic control switch 30, with over-heating protection, automatically disconnects the power supply from the heating element 5 and a control lamp 28 flashes on to indicate to the woman that the dryer is now ready for use. The plug 27 with its cord can be disconnected from the power supply and replaced in its storage compartment.

Now, as shown in FIG. 2, the user places the drying hood 13 on her head, slings the strap 2 of case 1 over her shoulder and connects, through the flexible air hose 12, the drying hood 13 with the air -outlet 11 of the carrying case. Now she switches the dial 26 to the On position. In this position the low current blower motor 29 begins to operate immediately, through the power pack supply from the laccumulators 19, and drives the blower 8 at the necessary speed. Cold air is sucked in through the slots 14 of the case 1, said air being passed through channel 6 inside the hollow space of the heat storing member. The heated air flows through the outlet nozzle at 9 and there it mixes with the `cold air, vi-a the ladjustable air-mixing valve 10. Thereupon the air, at the desired controlled temperature, passing through the air hose 12, reaches the drying hood 13 and there dries the womans hair.

In it-s positions Oli Charge, Heat and c\On, the switching knob 26 has .an electrical function, and when further turned, as shown in FIG. 3, it has also mechanical functions. The positions Hot, Warm, Medium to control the temperature of the air passing into hose 12, achieved by further turning of the knob 26, cause the air mixing valve flap 10 to be mechanically opened and closed. The more cold air which is added to the hot air flowing out at outlet end 9 of the channel 6 from the heat storage member 3, the cooler the air becomes; and the less outside air is added at valve 10, the hotter becomes the air flow through hose 12 into the drying hood 13. Thus, by means of the switching knob 26 the woman can smoothly Acontrol the degree of heat which she desires in the drying hood. At the beginning of the hair drying process, she is likely to desire higher temperatures, and toward the end of the drying process only medium high temperatures. This requirement corresponds automatically to the capacity and function of the heat storage member 3, which will be at a higher temperature at the start, immeditaely after the heating up period of the heat storage, than is the condition following a certain period of use.

As more hot air is taken from it, the heat storage member 3 cools down automatically, i.e., during the early portion of the hair drying operation, at a time when the hair is still relatively very wet, the heat storage member 3 has its highest heat capacity stored in reserve, at the beginning of the drying process. Near the end of the drying period, about 30 minutes later, the heat storage member has cooled down to a point, at which the warm air passing therefrom is only at about 50-60" C. At the start of the drying process, the delivered air temperatures should not exceed 100 degrees centigrade, as this would be dangerous for the hair. The air-mixing valve 10 is so constructed that suicient mixing of air is planned ahead of time, so that damage to the hair through too high a temperature is avoided.

After the hai-r is dry, the woman returns the hood 13 and air hose 12 back into the case compartment. Preferably, she simultaneously removes the cord with the plug 27 .and then connects the plug 27 of the hair dryer to 4 f the electric power supply network of the house, in order to immediately recharge the accumulators, with the dial 26 in the switching position on Charge After about 10 hours, or on the following day, she returns the cord and plug also to the case, closes the cover flap, and the hair dryer case may then be put away until the time of its next use. At any rate, it is now fullyv loaded for the next time.

Thus, during the hair drying process, the wom-an is completely unhampered by any electrical cord (cable), plug, connection box or power supply line. She may move around freelyinside or outside her house while wearing the hair-drying hood. Heating up of the heat storage member 3 does not have to be carried out in each case just shortly before the use of the hair dryer hood. If, for example, the woman desires to first dry her hair in the open air outdoors or at the beach and then later more at home with the dryer, she may even start the storage element heating-up process after she cornes home, and then dry her hair with the dryer independent of power supply approximately two hours later. Although the heat storing element 3 loses a small percentage of heat through radiation during the rst two hours it is disconnected from a power source, the stored heat remaining is still high enough to elfect a satisfactory hair drying resul-t.

Now it is feasible to consider that after the woman has dried her hair she may forget the charging operation. It is therefore preferable to select the capacity of the accumulators sufficiently high, that the blower fan may still operate with the current stored in the accumulators, even during a second drying process. However, it may be possible that when a timely recharging has been neglected, that there is suddenly not enough current available during `the hair drying operation, and the blower can no longer be driven by its motor from the accumulators, or not driven fast enough. The present invention also has provisions for this type of situation. An additional heating coil 4.2 is therefore provided in the heat storage member 3. Preferably, this coil 42 is positioned near the outlet 9. The coil 42 can produce enough heat for drying the hair, and at the same time it is connected in series with the blower motor so that it serves as an intermediate series resistance for the blower motor, by means of the charging connection rectifier. This means, that if the woman has neglected to recharge and the accumulators no longer supply enough current, she need not interrupt her hair drying process, but needs only to connect the cord and plug 27 to her household socket and to turn the switch knob 26 to the On position. Now the blower motor operates by means of heating coil 4Z with the public utility current power supply; and the necessary heat is supplied by the heating coil 42. In this situation, the function of the hair dryer equals that of convention-al, portable hair dryers. The woman can thus nish her hair drying in a perfect manner.

It will be obvious to those skilled inthe art, upon studying this disclosure, that devices according to my invention can be modified in various respects and hence may be embodied in apparatus other than particularly illustrated and described herein, without departing from the essential features of my invention and within the scope of the claims -annexed hereto.

I claim:

1. A portable hair dryer comprising in combination, a carrying case, blower means mounted within said case, a low-current motor operably connected for driving said blower means, a heat storage member within said case, means forming an air duct communicating with said blower means and having a portion thereof disposed in heat-exchange contact with said heat storage member, said air duct forming means defining an air inlet and an air outlet joint, electrical heating means in heat exchange contact with said heat storage member for supplying heat from an external power source to said heat storage member, current accumulator means arranged within said case and connected t0 said motor for supplying electrical current to said motor, a hair-drying hood, and flexible air hose means connectable to said air outlet joint so -as to receive heated air from said air duct and convey it to said hood, said heat storage member comprising a generally ring shaped element of ceramic material, said electrical heating means comprising a pair of concentrically disposed heating coils defining said air duct, insulation means positioned between said ring shaped element and said case, said air duct comprising an arcuate having at one end said air inlet communicating with said blower means, and accumulator charging means mounted within said case and connected to said Aaccumulator for charging the latter, said case having openings therein remote from said heat storage member for allowing flow of cool air into said case, and an adjustable air-mixing valve positioned in said duct spaced from said heat storage member and between said heat storage member and said air outlet joint so as to variably mix selected cold non-heated air from said openings with selected amounts of heated air from said heat storage member.

2. A hair dryer according to claim l, said carrying case having an upper front wall provided on the outer surface thereof with a control panel having a control knob with a plurality 0f settings, electrical connections to said settings for selective control to heat up said heat storage element and to charge said accumulators, and mechanical connections to others of said settings of said control knob for adjusting the setting of said air-mixing valve to control the temperature of air passing out of said air outlet joint.

3. A hair dryer according to claim 1, said electrical heating means including a iiexible electrical connecting cord for connection of said heating coil to an external source of power, said carrying case having a plurality of compartments, including respective compartments for storing said hood, said flexible air hose means and said ilexible electrical cord.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,756,380 6/1930- McGinnis 34-99 2,466,915 4/1949 Shields 34-99 2,553,794 5/ 1951 Staten 34-99 2,808,494 10/1957 elkes 126--400 2,900,739 8/1959 TOield.

3,108,862 10/ 1963 Toulrnin.

3,141,454 7/1964 Laing 126-400 X 3,143,697 8/1964 spinger.

3,182,653 5/1965 Mavleos et al 126-400 X yFREDERICK L. MATTESON, JR., Primary Examiner. JAMES W. WESTHAVER, Examiner.

A. D. HERRMANN, Assistant Examiner. 

